Found
by Lily272
Summary: After Set got separated from Atem during a sandstorm, a blond man fishes the half drowned brunet out of the Nile. Mostly Revertshipping.


**Authors Note: **And here is another one shot. Hope you like it. And by the way, I still own just about nothing :P

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**Found**

All I feel is pain. Every part of my body hurts, especially breathing. I try to remember what happened. It feels like forever before I finally do remember. A sandstorm came while I rode with pharaoh Atem and our guard back from the pyramid. Atem had insisted on giving his respects to his deceased father there. It had been tree years since his death on that day.

We had noticed the storm too late to find a suitable cover. There was no other chance than trying to stay together using the horses and camels as protection but I heard the pharaoh's voice scream something. I don't know what, the storm was louder than him. I saw him run after one of the travelling bags he had taken and ran after him to protect him. I already had lost sight of him when the ground suddenly gave in and I fell. I just hope that he is well.

I have no idea if there was a cliff that caved in or if I simply stumbled over an edge, not seeing the hand in front of my eyes anymore because of that stupid storm. All I remember is the wind racing past me while I fell towards the ground and I assume to fall to my death but when I hit ground it's not the desert I land on though. I'm in water, and considering our location it must be the Nile. The current is strong in the storm and I fight to stay above the water for air even though it feels like I breathe in more sand than air. I've lost the fabric that I had used to shield my mouth and nose from it in the water. But every time I finally get above the waves, another wave seems to be crashing down on me and I'm struggling to get up again.

Considering that this is my last conscious memory, I guess I'm lucky I'm still feeling any pain at all. I could be dead but I doubt that the afterlife will start any more painful than the current one and even though I, like everyone else, fail to remember how being born feels to the child in question, I really doubt it can be this painful or no child would ever stop crying.

I feel a cold cloth moving over my forehead and shrink a little from the cold but the movement hurts more, so I stop.

"I think he's waking up." A quiet and timid sounding female voice states and I hear someone walking closer.

I don't move, worried who might be with me. Is it a friend or a foe? I don't feel my diadank on my arm or my millennium rod at my belt. And since I hadn't been wearing any other weapon, I'm mostly defenseless. Not that I can't fight with my fists, especially against a female but I have no idea if the person walking closer has any weapons. Nor if there is anyone else around. "I think you better get Jono, just in case."

The second voice is male but still has a childlike ring to it. I feel safe enough to open my eyes slowly. If they haven't killed me while I was out cold, they probably won't now as long as I don't give them a reason. On top of that, those two don't sound dangerous and I rather check before this Jono gets back here. Since they have to get him I doubt anyone else that is potentially dangerous to be around. I see a young woman with red hair leaving the cave I'm currently in and see the river flowing so close past it that she has to walk through the water to leave it.

"Hello." The male childlike voice says and I look to the side where it is. The boy looks not much older than he sounds and seems on the verge of becoming a man. The strangest thing is, that apart from the clearly younger body, he looks a lot like my cousin pharaoh Atem. Just his eyes are a little different. They're softer, just like his face isn't quite as hard and strong as Atem's. He smiles at me and says, "Try to rest a bit more, we mean you no harm."

"What happened?" I ask clenching my teeth from the pain it causes and notice how hoarse my voice sounds. I probably swallowed a good bit of water from the river.

"I don't really know much." The young boy says, "Jono saw you flooding in the river and jumped in to pull you out. You both nearly drowned, because there was a sandstorm just before he saw you and the gods were still steering up the winds quite strongly, but in the end Jono got you out and you were still breathing but slept for so long that we started to fear that you won't wake up at all."

"Fool." I mumble, this Jono could have died under those circumstances since the wind can't have been the only danger. It had been raining a few times recently and the river is higher than it has been in a few years. We've received letters from everywhere in the country stating that people had trouble traveling across since even the usually reasonably safe crossing places are currently mostly unusable. Not that I can complain that he risks his life to save me but it doesn't exactly strike me as intelligent, unless he knew who I am and is trying to get something valuable in return. But even though it does look like they need it, that also would be pointless if he'd died with me.

"How is he?" Comes the voice of another male who already sounds fiercer than the first person. I look back to the cave´s entrance and see a blond man just entering the cave from around the corner. I mostly see a silhouette but can already see from that that he's strongly build. I also can see that his hair reflects the sunlight like it's made of gold. I've never seen hair like that and wonder how his face might look. I see the red haired girl reappearing and hiding half behind the stronger blond man. He's still smaller than me and I doubt that he could over power me if I was feeling better but right now even that girl could be able to. I feel terribly weak.

"I think he's fine." The young boy replies, "He definitely is still coherent and even though he's a little rough, he seems nice enough."

"Sounds good." The blond that must be Jono says and walks closer. I see that his eyes have an amazing shade. Like sun shining though amber and wonder if he's a decedent of some god. There is a glint in his eyes, like a fire is burning in them. I'm glad he has such a friendly and warm smile that leaves no doubt that he's at least not an dangerous or possibly evil god. But one thing is sure, no normal human being can possibly look that marvellous. He looks at me for a moment and then says, "By the way, I'm Jono and this is my sister Serenity and the little guy is my best buddy, Yugi. But I guess you already met him."

"I forgot to introduce myself though." Yugi says with an apologetic smile, "Who are you?"

If they don't know, then it might be best not to tell them, who knows what they'll do to me? I try to think of a name I can give them. One that won't let them find out that I'm rich and powerful. "You can call me Jaden." I reply, trying to stay as honest as I can since some gods don't like to be lied to and some can even sense it.

"That's not your name though, is it?" Jono replies and I'm even more certain that he must at least be a descendent of a god. "I saw you thinking about a name, so I guess it's not your name but that's fine. You don't have to tell us things you don't want to. I will still call you Jaden though, since I don't know your real name."

Well at least he clearly doesn't know everything. I see him lift a net with fishes that I just now notice and pass them to the girl he called his sister, but I doubt that such a plain girl can be related to him. She takes them and then gasps, saying, "It's bleeding through again. Let me take care of that first."

I see her running out and take some stripes of linen that she must have washed in the Nile and left close to it, before she removes the ones that are around his arm. I also see a red spot on those now. Once the linen is gone I see a cut. It doesn't look too good right now and is red around the edges and swollen. Maybe I should tell them that the linen should be washed with boiled water to destroy the evil in it. If he truly is related to a god he should know, but maybe he's testing me, "You shouldn't use that linen the way it is." I decide to say, just in case they do test me. Maybe this is a stepping stone to the afterlife and he a true full god while those two are human and here to serve him. "The linen needs to be washed with boiled water and not in the Nile directly."

"Why?" Yugi asks looking at me curiously.

"Because the heat from the flames will destroy the evil particles that are invisibly to the human eye and live in the water." I explain hoping to pass the test. "Usually they can't do much harm to us but if our body is weakened they do and a wound like that will give them an easy opening to cause damage."

"We don't have anything to boil it in." Jono says with a smile and looks towards the girl he calls his sister, "Don't worry Serenity, I'll be fine, just patch me back up okay? He said that they can't do much unless we're weakened and wound or no wound, I can tough it out okay."

I see quite a lot of blood coming out, "How do you know how to treat things like that?" Yugi asks.

It's always him who asks things like that. Maybe he's here to do the test and Jono will pass the judgment while Serenity is serving him. "Don't be nosy Yugi." Jono replies while I still ponder this, "He doesn't even give us a name, do you really think he's gonna tell you something that might give a hint where he comes from? It's not like it matters anyway. Like I said, we don't have anything to boil water with and we don't need it either. I've had worse cuts and will tough this one out too."

"How did you get that cut?" The words nearly fall out of my mouth. I've been wondering about it for some time now. At first glance I might have thought to be stronger, after all it's mostly been his silhouette against the light from outside and the reflection of it on his hair, but seeing how god like he is from up close, I really wonder what kind of creature might have been able to wound him at all.

"Nothing much." Jono grins and scratches the back of his head with one hand. Leaving the wounded arm to the girl he calls his sister for treatment. "I just scratched my arm on a rock when I pulled you out of the Nile."

A rock? He got hurt by something plain and worldly like a rock? That can't possibly be true. "Done." The girl says and takes the fishes that Jono is still holing in his hand and walks out of the cave.

"You think you can manage him in here?" Jono asks looking towards Yugi, "I still need to get the nets ready to catch some fish for the next meal. After all until he's better we'll have another mouth to feed."

"Sure, don't worry." Yugi says, "If I need anything I'll just send Serenity or leave her to watch him and..."

"Don't leave her." Jono orders, eyeing me wearily for a moment. I wonder why, the way he guessed so much already, he should know that I wouldn't hurt the girl in any way.

"Okay." Yugi says, "Then I'll send her if I need you but I really doubt that he could hurt her. Even if he wanted to which I doubt."

Maybe she is his lover rather than sister the way he protects her. I still really doubt that she can be related to him by blood. She's easy enough to look at and I'm sure that other man would call her pretty but compared to him she really is just plain.

Sadly Jono leaves the cave again, maybe Yugi will answer some of my questions now. I doubt it will be bad if I ask something as long as I won't push for answers they don't seem willing to give. "Why does he call her his sister?" I ask after thinking about it for a moment.

"Because she is." Yugi says with a shrug. "But their parents died when she was still very little and Jono had to take care of her on his own. They´re very close because of it."

"They don't look alike at all." I say, wondering if he's honest but not asking again. If he isn't, he's clearly not willing to give an honest answer.

"Apparently she takes after their mother and he after their father." Yugi says with a shrug, "At least that's what she told me.I try to sit up, the ground, even though it's sandy, is very uncomfortable to lie on moving as little as I have and I need to move anyway so might as well try to sit. It's hard to do so but with a bit of help from Yugi I manage and hope that at least some of my strength will return soon. The pain is already easing up quickly enough which is a good sign. "You should take it easy for a while."

"I'm fine." I say and look at the boy, still wondering why he resembles the pharaoh so much, he's too old to be an illegitimate son of the current pharaoh but maybe Atem's father had some fling with a girl a few years after Atem's birth. "What was his father?"

"I'm not sure." Yugi replies, thinking for a while, "Maybe a guard or something, I think Jono mentioned that he died during his work and their mother died a few month after having gotten sick."

I stare at him, is he really trying to tell me that Jono is completely human? Only a fool would believe that. Maybe he tries to test how gullible I am. "He can't be human. Not with the way he looks." I reply proving that I'm not a fool.

Yugi chuckles for a moment before asking, "Do you have a crush on Jono?"

I feel some heat rise to my cheeks and hope that I'm still too pale from the drowning to have it seen, "Of course not, I would never dare to harbour such feelings for someone like him."

"I assure you," Yugi says chuckling, "Jono is just as human as you and me." I still doubt it but won't speak of it again for now. "How old are you?" He asks after a while.

"I've seen just 17 summers." I say, remembering that even though I'm a man I'm still very young to find my death. But maybe I still have a way back if I pass this test.

"Same as Jono and I." I stare at him again and he adds with a dark blush on his face, "I know I don't look like it but unless you lied, I really am the same age as you and so is Jono."

While I stare at him I hear someone walking through the water by the entrance and see a fennec fox running towards Yugi. "Fenny." He says and opens his arms for the fox to jump into them and I watch it cuddle against him. "Have you had fun running around a little, my little friend?" I watch them for a moment before he looks back at me and then says, "Oh right, this is Fenny, I found her next to her mother. The mother was dead though and I took her in and raised her. That was a year before I met Jono. The guards in Merimda were hunting me for taking a bit of bread. I know that it is wrong to steal it but I was so hungry and Fenny hadn't eaten in days either. One of them just had grabbed me when he showed up and hit him with a piece of wood before he grabbed me and said 'run'. He pulled me outside through the city and after a while he found us a hiding place." Yugi chuckles before adding, "I never forget what he said to me right after the guards had walked past us."

"What did he say?" I ask after he's quiet for a moment.

"He said, 'Thanks, that was the most fun I had in ages.'" Yugi says with a grin, "And then he brought me outside the city and showed me a similar cave to this one. Serenity had been waiting there while he traded some of the fish he had caught. He usually just gets enough to feed us but whenever he has some to spare he goes there to trade it for clothes or something else we might need. That's how we got that cloth." He points towards me and I look down and notice that I'm wearing something different than I had put on earlier on today, or was it yesterday already. I really wouldn't know right now.

"What happened to my clothing?" I ask.

"Don't know." Yugi shrugs, "Since I don't know what happened to you I guess that it was either stolen before you were thrown into the water or it came of after you fell or jumped or however else you got in there."

And again I feel heat rising to my cheeks at the thought that if that's true, I hadn't been wearing anything when Jono had pulled me out and that one of those three must have gotten me dressed before I woke up. "Jono was really worried about you." Yugi says after watching me for a moment, "He's always nice to others and worried about others. I really couldn't ask for a better friend and you don't need to worry either. He'll take care of you until you're better and then you can either stay or go wherever you want to go."

I'm starting to wonder if he's telling the truth about most of what he says at least. I might not be one step away from the afterlife and still back in my old one. Maybe this Jono did pull me out and is at least partly human but I'm still sure that at least someone from his ancestors must have been a god. They say that the royal line of the pharaoh started with the god Horus, which means that I too have a tiny bit of that blood in me, so maybe I'm even worthy of him, even if I bet everything I have that his blood isn't mixed with human blood over as many generations as mine is. He's much too perfect for that.

"I have another idea." I say, starting to trust those three. "I could offer all of you to let me take care of you. I do have the financial means to take care of all of you."

"You do?" Yugi asks, his eyes doubling in size with surprise which I never thought possible. "But how can you have enough for all of us?"

"As Jono guessed, I'm not really called Jaden." I reply honestly, "I'm high priest Set. Even though I must admit that regrettably I lost my millenniums rod along with my clothing. If one of you is willing to go to the palace and inform them where I am, I could even have a healer looking at Jono's wound. I might know a few bits and pieces about healing, and enough to see that his wound doesn't look good, but I don't know enough to do much."

"I found something." I hear Serenity saying, just before I see her entering. "Look at this, do you think it will do to boil water for Jono's wound?" She's holding a stone towards me. It's not very big and she can still carry it easily enough with both hands but it has a mold in it to fill some water in. It's not much but it might be enough.

"I'm not sure if it's big enough but we can certainly try. Do you have a fire place?" I ask.

"It's outside. I have the fish above it." She replies.

"Would you help me out?" I ask Yugi, still feeling a little weak and he nods and helps me, even though I think I could just about have managed alone but I'd rather not test it through water. Even if it isn't deep, if I loose consciousness again and fall with my face under water I'd still die. I see the fire place soon after leaving. It's not really a big cliff, more like half a hill. Not a small hill but no taller than three tall man. Or six with the size of Yugi.

A little to the side the slope is coming down to the river and that's where I see the fire. A few yards further away I see a bit of Jono's blond hair standing at the rim of the water, probably still working to fix the nets and make sure they don't drift away or are seen by someone who will take them and whatever fish might be in it by then. "Place the stone as close to the fire as you can and then fill it with water and put the linen in it if possible."

She tries and not all of it fits but I instruct her to do one strip of linen at a time and let it dry over a branch afterwards. I also tell her to watch that the part that touched the branch won't touch the wound when she puts it on him. And to leave the last one in the water to wash the wound with it before putting the dried linen around his arm. "I still wish we had a healer to apply some salve or something." I mumble.

"I could try and get to the palace." Yugi offers. "If it's to help Jono I'd gladly try and when I tell them that you're here they should send help, shouldn't they?"

"It's more than a days walk from here." Serenity says, remembering how often she had feared about Jono when he'd been gone for three days for trading. They purposefully stay away from the city because they don't have much and the closer they are, the more likely that someone stronger takes what little they have. That's why they went to this cave after Jono had found it. He sometimes decides to abandon a place. Believing that someone will find it if they stay there for too long. And they simply lack the finances for a safer home inside of the city walks and protected by guards.

"But if Jono's wound really is as bad as he says?" Yugi muses.

"I'm fine." We all turn to Jono, who apparently had walked up to us from behind us. "I don't know what you guys are talking about but I'm fine so there is no reason for you or anyone else to take any risk. So quit worrying about me."

"But Set said that your wound doesn't look good." Yugi replies, using my real name.

"Set?" Jono asks, "So Jaden's real name is Set?"

"High Priest Set." Yugi explains. "He can get a healer for you if we get help for him from the palace."

"If he needs them to know where he is then I will go." Jono says.

"You shouldn't walk such a long way alone." I insist, "The wound might get worse any day. It's red and swollen and that isn't a good sign."

"I'll be fine." Jono says with a roll of his eyes and waving my words off with a gesture of his hand, "And I had wounds that looked just like it before and it was nothing."

"Then let's wait it out and see until one of us feels better." I suggest, praying that he'll be fine and that the god's will help him. I also hope that Atem reached the palace safely. Something might have happened to him too during that storm. If he's still missing they might look for him and pass this place.

"Fine." Jono says with a shrug and grabs one of the fishes that are placed on sticks above the fire, "What are you guys waiting fore? Dig in."

We all eat and after that Jono and Yugi turn off the fire and Serenity, who had gotten the linen out of the hot water with a stick, watchful where she touched it, treats her brother's wounds while I still find it hard to believe that they're siblings and even harder that he's human but the way that wound is troubling him seems to be proving his friends words that he's at least partly human. Especially since it looks even worse than before. The flesh around the wound is nearly purple and even though it's still bleeding, it's not just blood that comes from it. And I really don't like the look of that yellow fluid that is coming from it and hardening around the wound. The edges of the wound seem to be darkening. Like dying flesh. I really doubt that he survived worse without a healer. I doubt he'll survive this without one but I know that he won't let Yugi risk his life and I'm too week. Maybe after a night with plenty of rest I might be able to make that journey.

Later that night I hear some sounds from outside. I look around and see Serenity and Yugi sleeping in a corner but Jono is gone.

I walk outside and see Jono looking around. "What are you doing here?" I ask.

"Something is coming." He says and still looks around.

"I don't see anything." I say quietly to be safe and listen for sounds while looking around for danger. Maybe some guards are close by to search for me or the pharaoh.

"It's getting closer." He says and I see a reddish glint in his eyes, "I can feel it. It can smell it."

"What can.." I ask him and see his eyes suddenly moving to the side and there is a jackal. Jono's eyes move into a different direction and once I follow that I see another one. One after the other is appearing, a whole pack and a big one. About 25 animals I estimate. Usually they don't hunt in a group but thy might believe us to be a danger to them if they don't. There is no way that we can defeat that many without my diadank.

"Stay back and be quiet, I don't want to wake the others." Jono orders and I look at him. The reddish glint in his eyes is getting more dominant and by now his eyes glow nearly completely red while a black aura appears around it and goes above him. It connects him to a giant shadow monster that appears above his head. A black dragon with eyes as red as Jono's are right now. The dragon comes down and lands between Jono and the jackals that are now standing in a semicircle around us. A black dragon and as soon as the jackals see it, they're retreating slowly and after a while they run off.

I stare at Jono while the monster returns to him and the black aura slowly fades, just like the red glow leaves his eyes. Leaving them the same amazing shade of sun through amber that I've seen at first. He walks up to me and says, "Don't worry, they won't return, and if they or others do, I'll sense it. I always sense them coming. I don't know why." And with that he just walks back into the cave but he doesn't seem as steady as before and I hope that his condition isn't getting worse.

"Be careful." I warn him. "If the wrong person finds out about that dragon, you're in danger."

"I know." He says, "Yugi has heard what can happen to people with a shadow monster. That's part of the reason we stay clear of cities." By now he's back to the small cloth that he used as a blanket and lies down again. I watch him quietly and pray that no one finds out about his dragon before I'll rest for the night too.

The next morning I wake inside of the cave again, this time from a different sound than during the night. It's a painful groan and I look over to Jono who made that sound. I see him holding a hand over his wound. The linen got dirty during the night and I can see fresh blood through it again. I wish it would finally stop bleeding. I walk over to him, "How bad is it?"

"I'm fine." He says and smiles at me but it looks fake and his eyes don't look like they did the previous day. The colour got paler I'm not sure how to explain the look in his eyes but I've seen it in people's eyes who's blood had been boiled.

I touch his face with my head and he looks at me strangely, I've seen it before when someone had gotten too many ill particles from the water into a wound and they started to boil that person´s blood. I touch his face to see how warm he is. His face blushes a little and I wonder if it's his blood heating up. I touch his forehead to confirm that it's just as hot as his cheeks. "Serenity." I say loud enough for the girl to hear me. "I need some sort of fabric. Jono's blood is heating up. If it get's too bad he'll die, we need to cool it."

"Don't scare her like that." Jono grumbles. "I'm perfectly fine. And I need to go and get the nets."

"I can do that." I say, "Serenity knows where they are, doesn't she?"

"You nearly drowned." Jono points out and tries to get up but sways a little and I just push him back down for his own good.

"I'm fine and as you see right now I´m way stronger than you so let me do this and rest for once." I insists, "Please trust me, I'll take care of everything."

He looks into my eyes for a moment while I look back, hoping for a promise that he'll do as I say and rest. Going into the heat of the sun with such a temperature is like suicide. "But I have to get it."

"I'll get the nets." I say again, trying to sound as calming as I can.

"Not them." He says and his voice sounds weak. I really hope he can hold on a few more days. Two, maybe three, if what Serenity said about the walking distance is correct. "I need to get it for you."

"Tell me what and where and I'll get it but you mustn't go into the sun." I say as calm as I can again, "Please. Trust me to take care of them."

"I do." He says, "That's why I want to get it. He lifts a hand and draws a pattern of dots into the sand. "Find that, and move this one." He points to one of the dots. "That's where it is."

"I will," I say I promise. "Serenity will stay with you and Yugi shows me the nets, okay?"

"Fine." He finally says.

"Clean his wound again like I showed you and make sure that he always has a bit of cool and wet fabric on his forehead and maybe put some around his legs if you find enough. Don't let it be too cold, heat it in the sun a tiny bit if needed. Get it as close to your own temperature as you can." I instruct before grabbing Yugi's arm and dragging him out.

"I'll go." He says as soon as we're out of ear shot.

"That's just what I wanted to hear." I say with a slight smile, "I take care of him until you're back and when you get there, tell them you found me, they might not believe you but tell them that they should at least check it in case and I think they will. Also tell them that I need a healer. Don't tell them it's for Jono. That way they'll be more likely to bring one when getting me."

"Okay." Yugi says looking determined. "I'll be back as soon as I can." And with that I see him running off with a young fennec fox behind him. I just hope he's fast enough while I go and try to find the nets to calm Jono.

I passed three nets and got some fishes from each before I see the pattern. It's hard to find because a few small stones make the pattern he showed me and it looks like they just happen to be that way. I never would have looked twice at them if he hadn't shown me that. I roll the stone he pointed to the side. It's by far the biggest one and I need all my strength to move it at all. I stare at what I see once I did.

Under it is a hole and inside is a bit of blue and ripped fabric that really can't be used anymore. Not even to cool Jono, it's just too small. There also is a single one of my earrings, a bracelet and, to my greatest relieve, my diadank and my rod. I don't care about the jewels I lost any more than about those he must have found. I just care about the diadank and the millenniums rod and take both out. I roll the stone back over the rest, planning to take it some other time or leave it for whoever finds it. I don't know yet. But those two I might need if someone dangerous finds out. After all Jono is in no condition to run and hide and unlike him, I can't produce a shadow monster without it. I still find it hard to believe that someone like him can be defeated by unseen evil forces in the water or air or wherever they came from. Some malicious god might try to strike him down because nothing less should be able to harm him. He is so powerful, just like his dragon. I only have such a dragon because Kisara had one and it was taken from her. He has this kind of strength in himself. And I just hope that it stays where it is.

Once I return I ask Serenity to prepare the fishes in the hope that Jono will eat a little and not grow too weak to fight whatever forces are weakening his body and boiling his blood. Luckily he does eat a little. Not much though.

The next day is the worse and I hope that Yugi reached the palace and that some guards will be sent with a healer by horseback. They'll be much faster than Yugi that way and possibly be back here by nightfall. We sure need them seeing that Jono hardly shows any response. He just moves restlessly or groans and his body is covered in sweat while Serenity and I can't do much more than try and keep his blood from boiling and pray.

It's long past sunset before I hear horses approaching and run out, telling Serenity to stay in the cave and watch Jono in case it's someone else.

At first I only see the horses from afar and the sand rises after them. They clearly ride fast and there are a lot of them riding straight for us. If they're not sent from the palace it might turn into a hard fight, considering their number, they might have one or two monsters as well. For a little while I consider to hide in the cave and hope that they don't see us but then I see the spiked hair of two people and know that it's Yugi and that the pharaoh came personally as well. I wait until they're here, they can't get much closer with the horses anyway. Once Atem can here me I call out to him, "Did you bring a healer?"

"I did." He replies. "But it's good to see you well."

"I am but the man who saved me isn't." I explain. "I owe him my live and now he might die from a wound he got saving me."

"I understand." He says and I see a healer I know from the palace dismount and order the guards to help with his bags. Once he approaches me I hurriedly show him the way into the cave.

"Yugi got help." I tell Serenity. Jono is already too far gone to hear anyway. I stand and watch while the healer is looking at the wound. He instructs the guards to do what help he needs. Including holding Jono down while he cuts of the blackened flesh from his arm. He wakes up during that from the pain but isn't coherent enough to be explained what's happening. Serenity is distraught and I move an arm around her and guide her outside whispering, "You don't have to watch and don't worry, it will help him. He'll be better soon."

While I try to comfort her, the pharaoh is approaching me. "Mokuba is worried ever since we returned without you, He'll be glad to see you unharmed when we return this time."

"I'm also glad to see that you're unharmed." I say, reminding him why I had walked off in that sandstorm. I'm sorry that my younger sibling has to worry about me but I'm sure he'll be fine and he won't have to worry much longer.

"I am." He just says not even telling me what he had in that damned bag that was so damn important that he risked his life and I my own to save his sorry ass. Well at least I met Jono due to it and I intend to make sure that his life is better. "By the way, the healer is done treating to his wound so she can go back in." He clearly doesn't need to say that twice. She's back in almost faster than I can see. "The healer said that he needs to be moved to a cleaner place but we can't go tonight. It's too dangerous to travel by night.

"I know," I reply, "Especially with someone wounded. But we can take him in the morning, can't we?"

"I guess." He says, "I assume you'd want the girl to come too."

"As well as Yugi." I agree. "They helped me greatly."

"Oh trust me," He says and looks over to Yugi who is standing close to the entrance and looking towards Jono, clearly trying to stay out of the way while the guards prepare a camp inside the cave. Some will have to sleep in tents that are built outside of it though. They can't all fit inside. "I wouldn't let him stay here either."

I watch him and notice the way he looks towards him. "Whatever you do, Jono cherishes him as a friend and I still owe him." Having that said I walk closer to the cave again myself to see how Jono is doing and stand next to Yugi.

"He really is a god, isn't he?" I look at him in surprise, so far he always denied any relation of Jono to a god. I see him look over to his highness the pharaoh and then chuckle.

"And I guess he'll get what he wants, at least this time he will." I say.

"Of course, no one would ever dare to deny him anything." Yugi states.

"That's not what I meant." I reply and he looks at me questioningly. "You just reacted to him like I did to Jono, so I assume you feel for him as I do for Jono, correct?"

"I did react that way." He admits, "But he really is a decedent of Horus. So it's different, no one human could compare to it. While you just have a crush on Jono, right?"

"I do like him. But you think the pharaoh different from, let's say you and me, because of his relation to Horus, right?" I ask.

"Of course." Yugi states.

"And you only react to him because his bloodline started with Horus." I ask again just to make sure.

"Of course." Yugi says with a blush and a longing look, "There never could be anything else, he's a god and the pharaoh and I'm..." He leaves the sentence unfinished but I assume I know how he feels. I'm a high priest and cousin to the pharaoh and still originally doubted my worth to be with Jono considering how marvellous he is.

"He's my cousin." I tell Yugi. "His father and mine were brothers, which means that our grandfather, the one he got that godly blood from, is also my grandfather, which means that I have the same blood. You still didn't react to that." He blushes and I add, "But I do have good news for you, he just hinted to me that he feels just as strongly for you." I look at him thoughtfully before looking around to make sure that no one will hear if I whisper to him. "Do you know what he did when wild animals approached?"

He looks up surprised and I wonder if it's because I clearly know or because I whisper about this topic. But then again he might know anything about Jono's shadow monster. "I do." He says, "But you can't want to seal it. I heard that it's done and that the person dies. Please you..."

"Shhh." I interrupt him and look around again. Luckily Yugi had been quiet enough and no one seems to react. I just see the pharaoh looking at us displeased but assume it's because I'm rather close to make sure that only Yugi hears me and I have to lean down to him for that. Atem's much too far away to have heard us, "I would never let that happen but you must make sure that no one will hear a word about it from you and we need to warn Serenity."

"She knows." He replies more quiet this time. "I told them what I'd heard about people with shadow monsters on the market, where Joey found me back in Merimda."

"That's good to know." I say, "Then let's not talk about it again."

I see him agree wordlessly and then turn back to the pharaoh seeing him approaching us. "What are you two talking about?" Atem asks once he's close enough and eyes me angrier than he ever did before.

"I'm just keeping my future queen some company." I reply amused by the blush that appears on both of the other man's faces, "But since you're here now I will leave you two love birds alone." And with that I excuse myself and walk into the cave to sit by Jono's side. The healer is still with him and praying to the gods and I do the same. I stay with him all night with no change in his condition and by the time the sun rises the guards are starting to pack up the camp and prepare the horses. Once the healer has cleaned the wound properly and put some salve on it before wrapping clean linen around it he also packs his bags. I temporarily wonder if I should go get the jewels but decided not to. Sending someone will take too long because they'd have to search the pattern and I really don't want to leave Jono.

I'm the one that is holding Jono after he's been lifted onto my horse and I ride slowly, careful not to shake him too much. Every now and then the healer is pouring some water over his head to keep his hair cool and his temperature down, his clothing is also kept wet. It's already much better than it was the day before. It's past noon and Jono's temperature is rising again due to the heat of the sun even though the guards are taking turns with holding up a fabric while riding next to me to keep him in the shade.

Once at the palace I see my brother running out of the entrance and towards us. "Set, Set what happened? This Yugi said you need a healer quickly, what's wrong?"

"Nothing to worry, I'm unharmed." I say, no need to tell him that I'd nearly drowned until he had time to see that I'm well and calmed again, "I needed one for him." I look towards Jono who's still in my arms, "He saved my life and got wounded while doing so. I'll explain the rest later. Please do me the favour and find his sister a suitable chamber for now. And remember that without her brother I'd be dead, so make sure the chamber is worthy of someone like that."

"Of course." Mokuba replies and looks around to find the girl I've been talking about until his eyes fall onto the only girl around and he mumbles, "She's his sister?"

"I know what you mean." I say, remembering how often I'd thought that she looks too plain compared to him to be his sister.

"She's so beautiful." He mumbles and has a strange look on his face while I just grin a little and wonder if love is contagious, it would be the first time I hear about that, but it currently does seem that way.

"Just make sure she has a great room." I order, "And that she has everything she needs and isn't harmed." I do emphasize the last part to remind my brother not to try anything she mightn't want. Not that I think he'd be the kind of man to do so but better be safe than sorry.

"Of course." He mumbles and walks up to her to introduce himself while I carry Jono into my room for now. I probably have to find him one of his own but until he feels better I'd rather have him where I can see him.

The healer comes to see him twice before sunset and by then his temperature is normal again. While he's with Jono I use the time to wash myself and dress in my own tunic. I also arrange that Serenity is taken care of properly and talk to her, trying to keep her from seeing Jono all the time to let him rest. I promised to let her know if there is a change in his condition. I also go to the pharaoh and talk to him about Yugi to ensure that he's taken care of like Jono surely would want me to do. It appears that they already enjoy their time together and I must say that it looks very sweet how they touch each other shyly and gaze lovingly into each others eyes with a happy smile on their faces. I just hope that I can capture Jono's heart as easily as Atem did with Yugi's.

It's past sunset though before Jono opens his eyes. "Where am I?" He asks.

"You're in the palace." I say and see him looking at me.

I see him blushing and hope that I manged to impress him a little, now that I finally look like a high priest again. He tries to sit up and I say, "Don't, please, stay where you are and don't brush of that wound it's been very bad since you've last been awake and Serenity is very worried and for good reasons."

"Where is she?" He asks but at least stays in bed the way he is.

"I arranged for a room for her and have two servants and a guard tend to her every need. Yugi is also taken care of similarly just by the pharaoh in person. It seems those two grew rather fond of each other and enjoy the others company greatly. Yugi's with him as we speak, while my younger brother is trying to distract your sister and amuse her to the best of his ability." While saying that I walk towards the doorway of my chamber and open it to say to a guard, "Find Serenity and inform her that Jono awakened. He's still week but getting better and she needn't worry about him too much any longer."

"I'm sorry." He mumbles after I returned to the bed and look at him for a moment.

"What for?" I ask, wondering what he could possibly be sorry for.

"That I didn't tell you. I found that stuff before you were awake again." Jono replies, "I didn't tell Serenity or Yugi about it so don't get mad at them, but I hid it because I wasn't sure if it's yours or if you're a thief. I mean, Yugi stole some food and I have to admit that I've done that once or twice too when I was smaller and didn't know how else to take care of Serenity but, that's different from the things I found. I wanted to keep it all safe until I knew if it's yours or not."

"Then there is nothing to be sorry about." I tell him, "If it had been a thief I'd be grateful now and you did help me and return it once you trusted me enough. You did the right thing Jono and there is nothing to be sorry for."

I see Jono looking into my eyes for a moment before blushing and looking around the room. I touch his face and forehead, worried that the temperature rose again. I'm glad that it doesn't seem that way. "Who's room is this?" He asks after a while.

"It's mine." I reply and see the red on his face increase. I watch him for another moment, the way he looks around and avoids looking into my eyes. Then he flushes when our eyes meet because he doesn't seem to be able to stop himself from looking at me. "It can be yours too." I say after a while and see him looking at me with surprise. "I mean, I like you, and I'd like having you near me. I want to be as close to you as possible. At least as close as you'll let me." He still just stares at me and doesn't say anything so I try to persuade him further. "I promise that you and Serenity will have everything you could ever wish for and I will treat you like the god I think you are."

"Don't be silly." He says blushing even more. "I'm no god."

"I find it hard to believe when I look into your amber eyes." I say, "You are the most beautiful creature I've ever encountered."

"Then why don't you just kiss me already?" He mumbles looking away more shyly than his words make him seem and I chuckle a little before leaning closer and covering his lips with mine, hoping that he'll never leave my side again.


End file.
